January 20, 2006

The Dream Diluted

We've talked a lot about the impact and effectiveness of appealing to all of the senses in marketing and communications. Failure to do so inevitably dilutes the power of the message.

I thought of this again earlier this week when we were once again denied the sound and the sight and the extraordinary power of the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We are denied them because his divisive family has held them up in some ridiculous copywrite wrangling that ranks right up there with their milking all the money out of the King Center and demanding $20 million for the sale of his papers (no takers yet).

What they've effectively done is dilute the power of this great leader, arguably the greatest American leader of the 20th century.

Many wonderful films were made with exerpts of Dr. King's speeches. They drove home his message with such force and finality. And now young people are denied any inkling of that message (as relevant today as it was when Dr. King was alive)...and, for those of us who do remember him, the memories become dimmer.

I've always admired the people who fight to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive. There was a time when I foolishly thought "enough already." But now - seeing what has happened with the memories of Dr. King - I recognize and appreciate more than ever how important it is to remind ourselves in the most vivid sensory way possible of these extraordinary people and times in our history. The Holocaust Museum in Washington certainly appeals to all of the senses. And that helps it be so powerfully effective.

Taylor Branch has just released the third book of his trilogy on the King years. I commend all three to anyone who wants to get close to the experience of that time and that remarkable man. They are "Parting the Waters," "Pillar of Fire," and - most recently - "At Canaan's Edge."

An Atmosphere of Trust

I was thinking today of how important an atmosphere of trust is in the customer experience.

I went to get an MRI. Anticipating that I would be uncomfortable remaining in the same position for a very long time, I asked for a sedative. They told me I would need to have someone drive me home. "No problem," I said, "I'll call someone to get me when you're through."

"How do we know you won't just walk out?" they said. "You need to have someone waiting for you right here right now.


"No way," I said. "Why should I tie up someone's time? They are five minutes away. I'll call them when we're done."

"No," they said, "We need to see the person now."

I told them, "That would be tantamount to you saying you need to see the cash I'm going to pay the bill with right now. You're saying, in effect, that you don't trust me. And I don't want to be here receiving medical services (or any other kind of services) from people who don't trust me."

(I was getting upset and could really use that sedative!!)

Supervisors were called and I was finally allowed to have it my way. That is, to be trusted as a customer.

I had been so relaxed when I came in. Their distrust had upset me. And it made me realize how very important it is to provide a trusting environment....or at least the appearance of a trusting environment.

By "appearance" I mean things like greeters in stores. Are the greeters or security people simply there to keep you honest. Perhaps they're simply there for security, but if we think they're there to be friendly (which we naturally want to believe), then they contribute to an environment of trust.